Freezer device or refrigerator/freezer combination

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a freezer device or refrigerator/freezer combination having a freezer compartment with an ice cube compartment (10) which has an ice cube maker (50) and a pan-shaped ice cube drawer (10) for collecting the ice cubes. The ice cube drawer (10) has a two-part design and comprises a main drawer (30) and a secondary drawer (40). The front panel (34) of the main drawer (30) comprises an insert opening (36), and the secondary drawer (40) is inserted into the main drawer (30) through said insert opening (36).

The invention relates to a freezer unit or to a refrigerator/freezer combination having a freezer compartment in which an ice cube compartment is arranged that has an ice cube maker and a pan-shaped ice cube drawer.

Such freezer units or combination refrigerator/freezer units are known from the prior art, with reference being able to be made by way of example to DE 10 2017 001 011 A1. The freezer compartments of such units frequently additionally comprise a plurality of storage drawers for storing frozen goods in addition to the ice cube drawer of the ice cube compartment. The drawers are as a rule arranged above one another in the freezer compartment. A uniform height of the drawers, such as can be recognized in FIG. 1, for example, is desirable for visual and technical production reasons, with the ice cube drawer 120 and all the storage drawers 105 having the same height. The ice cube drawer 120 here extends only over half the width of the freezer compartment and shares a level of the freezer compartment with a storage drawer 105 that extends over the other half of the width of the freezer compartment.

The heights to be considered optimum for storage drawers 105 are, however, in many cases too small for the ice cube drawer 120 since the ice cube maker already takes up a significant portion of the drawer height and the ice cubes collect locally below the ice cube maker. These circumstances are illustrated in FIG. 2, with it being able to be recognized that the ice cube maker 150 projects from above into the drawer 120 and substantially takes up the total upper half of the available volume of the drawer 120. A heap of ice cubes 170 forms thereunder that is in particular initially not distributed over the total base surface of the drawer 120 due to the continuous ice production. The maximum filling level below the ice cube maker 150 that can, for example, be detected by a lever 180, is thus already reached at an early point, in many cases already after the production of little ice.

To solve this problem, it has been considered to double or to increase the construction size of the ice cube drawer. This would then take up exactly two levels of the freezer compartment and would maintain the basic division of the freezer compartment. Such a solution is shown in FIG. 3, with the ice cube drawer 120 doubled in height in turn only extending over half the width of the freezer compartment and sharing two levels of the freezer compartment with two storage containers 105 of half width arranged above one another. This results in a very high ice cube drawer 120 having a large storage volume that would at most be suitable for users having a very high ice consumption, but would be too large for most application cases.

It is the object of the invention to propose an advantageous design of the ice cube drawer that overcomes the disadvantages identified above.

Against this background, the invention relates to a freezer unit or a refrigerator/freezer combination having a freezer compartment with an ice cube compartment that has an ice cube maker and a tray shaped ice cube drawer for collecting the ice cubes, with the ice cube drawer being designed in two parts and comprising a main drawer and a secondary drawer, with the front plate of the main drawer having a push-in opening and the secondary drawing being pushed into the main drawer through this push-in opening.

Both the main drawer and the secondary drawer are preferably formed in tray shape and have a base, two side walls, a rear wall, and a front plate. The main drawer and the secondary drawer preferably have the same depth so that the secondary drawer reaches up to the rear wall of the main drawer in the completely pushed in state and the base of the secondary drawer completely covers the base of the main drawer. The secondary drawer could also be designed without side walls and/or without a rear wall. The removal of the ice cubes preferably takes place predominantly via the main drawer.

The ice cube maker is preferably arranged at a top of the ice cube compartment. An exemplary design is shown in DE 10 2017 001 011 A1.

In a variant, the secondary drawer can lie on the base of the main drawer and be able to be pulled out.

At least one pair, and preferably a plurality of pairs, of guides disposed above one another can be provided for the secondary drawer at the side walls of the main drawer. It is made possible by the guide pair or pairs to selectively insert the secondary drawer into the main drawer at different heights. The ice storage volume can thus be individually determined by the user. The space present between the bases of the main drawer and of the secondary drawer in dependence on the deployment height can be used for storing other products.

The guides can be support webs that project inwardly from the side walls of the main drawer. The base of the secondary drawer can, for example, be placed on such webs.

Provision is made in an embodiment that the dimensions of the front plate of the secondary drawer correspond to the dimensions of the push-in opening. The front of the ice cube drawer can therefore be composed of a total of two front plates, namely in part by the front plate of the main drawer and in part by the front plate of the secondary drawer.

The front plate of the secondary drawer can, for example, take up half the height of the drawer front, whereby it is made possible to provide the ice cube drawer with the appearance of two drawers of half the height. Provision can also be made in this connection that both the front plate of the main drawer and the front plate of the secondary drawer have an optionally identically or similarly designed handle contour. The push-in opening can start directly at the base of the main drawer.

Alternatively to the last-named embodiment, provision can be made that the push-in opening starts at a distance from the base of the main drawer and that a railing is provided that extends from the base of the main drawer to the lower margin of the push-in opening. The railing can prevent products from falling out of the space released between the base of the main drawer and of the secondary drawer in a raised position of the secondary drawer.

Provision is made in a variant that the ice cube drawer comprises a closure plate that is held such that it can be reversibly displaced in the level of the front plates between an open position in which it releases the push-in opening and a closed position in which it covers the push-in opening. Provision can be made that the closure plate is disposed behind the front plate of the main drawer in the open position and can be reversibly displayed, starting from this open position, downwardly into the closed position. It is thus made possible for the user to fully remove the secondary drawer to permanently have a large-volume ice cube drawer available.

It is preferred that the ice cube drawer only extends over a partial region of the width of the freezer compartment. Provision can therefore be made that the ice cube drawer only extends over a part, for example half, of the width of the freezer compartment and shares a level of the freezer compartment with a storage drawer that extends over the other part, for example the other half, of the width of the freezer compartment.

It is further preferred that storage drawers for storing frozen goods are additionally provided below and/or above the ice cube drawer in the freezer compartment, with the heights of the storage drawers preferably corresponding to a whole number fraction and further preferably to half the height of the ice cube drawer. The construction height of the ice cube drawer, measured at the height of the drawer front, would then take up an exact number, for example two, levels of the freezer compartment and the basic division of the freezer compartment could be maintained.

The unit in accordance with the invention typically has a heat insulated unit carcass that surrounds the inner space that consists of the freezer compartment or comprises the freezer compartment. The unit carcass preferably has a parallelepiped shape, with a large area removal opening for the freezer compartment typically being arranged at the front side. The removal opening is typically reversibly closed by a heat insulated door, with the door being able to be a swing door. An insulating layer that is encompassed between an outer jacket and an inner container of the unit carcass or of the door is preferably provided for the heat insulation. The insulation layer can, for example, be a heat insulation foam, a fiber material, or a vacuum insulation member. The inner space is preferably defined by an inner container of the unit carcass that is, for example, formed by a deep drawn plastic sheet.

The unit in accordance with the invention has a heat pump to cool the inner space or the freezer compartment. The heat pump can comprise a coolant circuit with a compressor, condenser, restrictor, and evaporator, with the evaporator being arranged within the inner space surrounded by the heat insulated unit carcass, for example at or behind the wall of the inner container. The condenser in this variant is arranged outside the inner space surrounded by the heat insulated unit carcass, for example at the rear side of the unit. The compressor is typically arranged in a machine space that can, for example, be arranged in a base region of the unit.

The ice cube drawer and/or the storage drawers can be fastened to guides at the side walls of the inner container and can be able to be pulled out and/or can be placed on intermediate bases of the freezer compartment and be able to be pulled out. The guides can, for example, be rails and/or ribs. The latter are preferably designed in one part with the inner container and are preferably produced by deep drawing. The intermediate bases can be glass bases, for example.

The unit can be purely a refrigerator unit, purely a freezer unit, or a refrigerator and freezer combination unit.

In an embodiment variant, the unit in accordance with the invention is a standalone unit. A standalone unit typically has four legs at the floor side and is suitable for free installation in a room. Alternatively, the unit in accordance with the invention can also be a built-in unit that is equipped with connection elements for installation in a furniture niche.

The unit in accordance with the invention is preferably adapted for use in a household.

Further details and advantages of the invention result from the embodiments described in the following with reference to the Figures. There are shown in the Figures:

FIG. 1: a freezer unit known from the prior art with an ice cube drawer and a plurality of storage drawers;

FIG. 2: a sectional view of the ice cube compartment of such a freezer unit;

FIG. 3: a variant of the freezer unit shown in FIG. 1 in which the ice cube drawer extends over two levels;

FIG. 4: sectional views of the ice cube compartment of an embodiment of a freezer unit in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 5: sectional views of the ice cube compartment of a further embodiment of a freezer unit in accordance with the invention.

A plurality of sectional views of a first embodiment of an ice cube compartment 10 in accordance with the invention that comprises an ice cube drawer 20 and an ice cube maker 50 are shown in FIGS. 4a -d. The ice cube maker 50 is arranged at the lower side of an upper storage shelf 11 that bounds the ice cube compartment 10 at the upper side. It projects from there into the inner space of the ice cube drawer 20.

The ice cube maker 50 comprises a parallelepiped shaped module housing 51 in which an ice cube tray 52 rotatably supported about a horizontal axis and an electric motor for its rotation are received. The module housing 51 is open at the upper side and at the lower side so that water can move from above from a supply line 54 into the ice cube tray 52 from above and the finished ice cube can move downwardly from the ice cube tray 52 into the ice cube drawer 20 arranged beneath the ice cube maker 50. The side walls of the module housing 51 are also open so that the air exchange between the interior of the module housing 51 and the environment is promoted, which permits an improved heat exchange and promotes a freezing of the ice cubes.

The ice cube drawer 20 is pushed into the freezer compartment of a unit in accordance with the invention. It is of a two part design and comprises a main drawer 30 and a secondary drawer 40 that is pushed into the main drawer 30.

The main drawer 30 is formed as a tray and has a base 31, two side walls 32, a rear wall 33, and a front plate 34. The front plate 34 and the side walls 32 extend over the full height of the main drawer 30. The rear wall 33 is a little lower so that it can be pulled through below the ice cube maker 50 on a pulling out of the main drawer 30. The side walls 33 are guided by guides not shown in any more detail at the inner unit container or at a suitable intermediate wall of the unit so that the main drawer 30 can be pulled as a whole in the depth direction of the unit. A handle contour 35 is provided at the upper side of the front plate 34 and a user can grip into it to pull the drawer out.

The ice cube compartment 10 can be bounded at the lower side by a lower storage shelf not shown in any more detail at in the Figures. The base 31 of the main drawer 30 can optionally lie on such a lower storage shelf alternatively or additionally to the fastening at lateral guides.

A large area push-in opening 36 whose width corresponds to the total width of the front plate 34 and that extends in the vertical direction, starting from the upper edge of a low railing 37 of the front plate 34, upwardly up to approximately the center of the front plate 34 is provided in the front plate 34 of the main drawer 30.

The secondary drawer 40 is pushed into the push-in opening 36 from the front. The secondary drawer 40 is likewise formed as a tray and likewise has a base 41, two side walls 42, a rear wall 43, and a front plate 44. The front plate 44 is considerably higher than the side walls 42 and the rear wall 43. The secondary drawer 40 has the same depth or a depth smaller by only a wall thickness and the same width or a width smaller by only a wall thickness than the main drawer 30 so that it extends up to the rear wall 33 of the main drawer in the completely pushed in state and the base 41 of the secondary drawer 40 completely covers the base 31 of the main drawer 30. The front plate 44 of the secondary drawer 40 is dimensioned such that it fits exactly into the push-in opening 36 in the front plate 34 of the main drawer 30.

A total of three peripheral sets of support rails 38 on which the base 41 of the secondary drawer 40 can be placed are provided at the inner sides of the side walls 32 and at the rear wall 33 of the main drawer. The vertical spacing between the adjacent rails approximately corresponds to the height of the side walls 42 and of the rear wall 43 of the secondary drawer 40 so that a guidance for the secondary drawer 40 is formed by the encompassing of the side walls 42 between adjacent sets of support rails 38. The secondary drawer 40 can in this manner be pulled in total out of the main drawer 30 in the depth direction of the unit. The sets of support rails 38 are all arranged in that vertical region of the main drawer 30 over which the push-in opening 36 extends. The secondary drawer can thus be pushed into the main drawer 30 at different vertical positions as can be seen from the representations of FIGS. 4a -c.

As can be recognized in FIG. 4d , the secondary drawer 40 can also be completely removed from the main drawer 30. To be able to cover the push-in opening and to be able to use the main drawer 30 independently as an ice cube drawer 40, a closure plate 39 is provided that is held behind the front plate 34 of the main drawer 30 and can be pushed downwardly with a removed secondary drawer 40 into a closed position in which it covers the push-in opening 36.

A plurality of sectional views of a further embodiment of an ice cube compartment 10 in accordance with the invention that is largely similar to the ice cube drawer shown in FIGS. 4a-d are shown in FIGS. 5a -d.

A decisive difference can be found in a lack of a railing 37, whereby the push-in opening 36 in this embodiment extends, starting from the base 31 of the main drawer 30, up to approximately into the center of the front plate 34 of the main drawer 30 and is thus somewhat higher than in the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 4a -d. The front plate 44 of the secondary drawer 40 is accordingly also somewhat higher in this embodiment than in the embodiment in accordance with FIGS. 4a-d . The bottommost push-in position of the secondary drawer 30 is thus formed by placing the secondary drawer 40 at the base 31 of the main drawer. The sets of support rails 38 and their positioning remain unchanged so that ultimately an additional push-in position of the secondary drawer results. On the other hand, a closure plate 39 is lacking in this embodiment so that the main drawer 30 cannot be used independently. 

1. A freezer unit or a refrigerator/freezer combination having a freezer compartment with an ice cube compartment that has an ice cube maker and a tray shaped ice cube drawer for collecting the ice cubes, characterized in that the ice cube drawer is designed in two parts and comprises a main drawer and a secondary drawer, with the front plate of the main drawer having a push-in opening and the secondary drawer being pushed into the main drawer through this push-in opening.
 2. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that at least one pair, and preferably a plurality of pairs of guides disposed above one another, of guide are provided for the secondary drawer at the side walls of the main drawer at guides.
 3. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with claim 2, characterized in that the guides are support webs that project inwardly from the side walls of the main drawer.
 4. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the dimensions of the front plate of the secondary drawer correspond to the dimensions of the push-in opening.
 5. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that both the front plate of the main drawer and the front plate of the secondary drawer have a handle contour.
 6. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination, characterized in that the secondary drawer has no handle contour and/or no side walls and/or no rear wall.
 7. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the push-in opening starts directly at the base of the main drawer.
 8. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the push-in opening starts at a distance from the base of the main drawer; and in that a railing is provided that extends from the base of the main drawer to the lower margin of the push-in opening.
 9. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ice cube drawer comprises a closure plate that is held such that it can be reversibly displaced in the level of the front plates between an open position in which it releases the push-in opening and a closed position in which it covers the push-in opening.
 10. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the ice cube drawer only extends over a part region of the width of the freezer compartment.
 11. A freezer unit or refrigerator/freezer combination in accordance with one of the preceding claims, characterized in that storage drawers for storing frozen goods are additionally provided below and/or above the ice cube drawer in the freezer compartment, with the heights of the storage drawers preferably corresponding to a whole number fraction and further preferably to half the height of the ice cube drawer. 